The Unexpected: A Big Brother Fic
by BigBrother94
Summary: For the 20th season of Big Brother, an all new cast is brought into the House to play for the 500,000 grand prize.
1. Chapter 1

DAY ONE

The door opens on the house for the first time for this new set of Houseguests, and the first four cast members allowed to enter flood into the hallway.  
"Oh my god, it's really happening!" yells one of them. "We're really on Big Brother!"  
It's the same each year: the flurry of excitement as the new Houseguests scramble into the home, into the walls that will enclose them for the next ninety-nine days. And then, the urgency. The realization that they must find a bed, claim their spot in the house. Of course, this isn't quite as important as earlier seasons, when slower, less lucky Houseguests might wind up sleeping on a cot or in a sleeping bag at first, but still. Picking the right spot could be important.  
No time seems to have passed for these first four Houseguests before the next four enter, and then the next four, and then the final four. This is a relief, for those who know the show: All sixteen Houseguests are here, and none seem to be returning Houseguests who have played the game before. A relief, yes. But still, they know the show's motto: Expect the Unexpected. If all sixteen are here now, there is a twist to come.  
They gather in the living room. Though some have exchanged names with each other, they will go around the circle and introduce themselves one by one. Someone pops one of the two bottles of champagne production has provided for the occasion, and begins to pour the liquid into flutes.  
"I'll start," says one woman, a blonde, older than most of the cast. She wears a slim-fitting champagne-colored dress and seems particularly bubbly, with red cheeks that betray her excitement. "My name is Leslie, I'm 43 years old, I'm from Chicago, and I'm a dietician!"

Whether because they think it will help their games or because they actually believe it, some of the Houseguests comment that she does not look her age.

They continue.  
"I'm Toby, I'm 24 years old, I'm from Missouri, and I teach kindergarten and work at a coffee shop on the weekends." This comes from a wiry white man with deep black hair and light stubble on his chin.  
A man whose salt-and-pepper hair errs more towards the salt says, "I'm Zack, I'm a novelist, and I'm from Manhattan."

A large girl with a lovely red dress covered by a grey cardigan says, "I'm Mary, I'm 24 years old, I'm from Orlando, and I'm a bartender."

"I'm Retta, I'm 35, I'm from Kansas City, and I work in sales." This from a tall, stick-thin black woman in a sparkly teal dress with silver heels.

"I guess I'll go next," a soft voice says. "I'm Rodney, I'm 46 years old, I'm a pastor, and I'm from Sacramento." He is soft spoken, but he does not look like a pastor. He wears a clean white t-shirt with jeans and a black leather jacket. Looks of concern are cast around the circle, though nobody says a word. _Can we trust him?_ many think. This is Big Brother, of course. He could be lying. More than one Houseguest thinks, _he looks like he just stumbled off the set of a Grease remake, not out of a church. Who is he_ really?

"I'll go next," says an Indian girl in a white dress with banana designs printed on it that recall Andy Warhol. "I'm Maureen, I'm from Los Angeles, but my family moved to the states from India when I was five. I'm 22, and by the looks of it I might be the youngest one here?" At this everyone looks around to see if anyone corrects her. They don't. "Cool, so yeah. I work at a clothing store in a mall, so if you don't vote me out I can hook you up with my employee discount!"

Next is a blonde girl: Alice, 26, works on her family's farm in Nebraska, recently engaged to her high school sweetheart.

Mia, 29, is a Chinese woman whose purple dress is complimented by her white heels. Mia is a freelance writer.

Patrick is 27 years old. "I'm the first transgender man to play Big Brother," he says. "I'm from Queens. And I do vlogs on Youtube."

Caleb is 34, a chef from Omaha. He has curly red hair and a short, scruffy beard.

Tyler is 29, and he works in construction in Phoenix, Arizona. He is thin, but very muscular, with curly brown hair.

Jonathan is 36, and he's a stay-at-home dad from Cleveland.

Georgia is a 23-year-old black girl with her curly hair pulled back into a ponytail. "I'm from San Diego, and I work in a bike shop. If you ever need a bicycle repair, I'm your gal."

Kristen lives in Denver. She's 28, and she trains dogs.

"Guess I'm last to go," says a young man with spiky brown hair straight out of the early 2000s. "I'm Aaron, I'm 25 years old, and I'm a car salesman."

There is little time for chat before the TV screen on the wall opposite the couches lights up. Julie Chen's face fills the screen. As always, she looks incredible. This is not in spite of the bizarre outfit Wardrobe has thrown at her; somehow, she looks incredible _because_ of it. She smiles down upon the Houseguests.

"Hello, Houseguests," she says. "And welcome to season 20 of Big Brother."

The Houseguests cheer.

"You've all started to get to know each other I see, and everyone seems friendly...but that won't last long. In fact, it's about to end right now."

There is groaning from around the living room as the Houseguests wonder what is about to happen.

"Houseguests, you've just moved into the Big Brother house, but don't get too comfortable just yet," Julie says. "We all know how important first impressions can be, but maybe you weren't prepared for how important your first impression would be _tonight_. That's right, in just a moment, one of you will be evicted from the Big Brother house, based solely on the first impression you made on your fellow housemates."

Everyone shifts a little, anxious. Some rub their sweaty palms on their knees.

"Here's how it's going to 'll all look over the Memory Wall to review the names of your fellow Houseguests and make a decision. Then, one by one, you will enter the Diary Room and cast your vote to evict from all of the Houseguests. Here's the kicker: whoever has the most votes to evict will be the first evicted Houseguest. But whoever has the _second_ most votes to evict will earn safety for the week. If there is a tie, Houseguests will vote between the two highest vote earners to decide who is evicted. Does everyone understand?"

The Houseguests, nervous, nod their assent. Some know that this has become somewhat of a trend in recent seasons, evicting someone on the first night. Whether or not they think it is necessarily fair, they know that it is the game that they signed up for.

For some, the break is far too short, and when Julie returns to the screen they are still frantic as they stare at the Memory Wall. For others, the vote was decided the moment Julie explained the rules.

One by one, they are called into the Diary Room. Though they know that for America, this is entertaining, for them it is just nerve-wracking. Nobody wants to be the first boot; how embarrassing would it be to make it even less time in the house than Cameron had just last season?

Julie is relentless as she refuses to give their nerves a rest.

"Houseguests, the results are in, and I will now tell you the top 3 vote-getters. They are, in no particular order...Leslie...Aaron...and Rodney."

The three nod, solemn. They know that their odds aren't good.

"And with three votes to evict, Leslie...:"

Leslie looks up at the screen, worried. To her fellow Houseguests, she looks like she might cry.

"You are the third highest vote-getter, which means you are safe from this eviction."

Leslie lets out her held breath and allows her tense shoulders to relax.

"That means it's down to Aaron and Rodney. One of you will be going home tonight, and the other will earn safety for the week. And with four votes to evict...Aaron...congratulations, you are safe, that means Rodney, I'm sorry, with five votes to evict, you are the first evicted Houseguest of Big Brother 20."

Rodney nods and stands, turning to hug the other Houseguests despite only having met them tonight. Aaron's eyes dart around the group. He is thankful that he is safe, but he is filled with dread, thinking of where those votes came from.

And he is not the only one thinking of votes. Patrick has immediately felt a connection with Mia, as they are close with age and entered the house at the same time. As Rodney is exiting the house, Patrick pulls Mia aside. "That leaves three rogue votes. I voted out Rodney, and I'm guessing you did too?" Mia nods. "Then we need to figure out who those other three votes to evict were for. I want to keep my finger on the pulse in this house."

Julie returns to the screen.

"Houseguests," she says. "I know that was an exciting turn of events, but the night's not over yet. That's right. The first Head of Household competition of the season is next."


	2. Diary Room Sessions, Day One

_...and remember, your fellow Houseguests cannot hear you, so feel free to speak candidly…_

MAUREEN: OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY IN THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE! This has been my dream since I was a little girl and now it's finally happening!

RODNEY: I walk into the Big Brother house, and immediately, I'm thinking, wow, I might be the oldest guy here this year. That could be a problem...or I could use it to my advantage, to make them all think I'm less of a threat.

LESLIE: Y'all, don't tell my husband, but the men in this house? Wow. Just. Wow.

TYLER: I'm looking around this house and there are beautiful women and beautiful men and just everywhere I turn is someone hot.

AARON: Everyone seems so nice at first, but I know that this is Big Brother and while everyone may seem nice and friendly now, they're all waiting to stab me in the back.

TOBY: We're all going around the room introducing ourselves, and y'all, I'm a superfan, so I know that people sometimes lie about their occupation to seem like less of a threat. So when Rodney says he's a pastor, that's a MAJOR red flag to me.

JONATHAN: No way in hell is Rodney a pastor...no pun intended.

MARY: I don't know who Rodney is, but he's not a pastor.

RODNEY: I've been a pastor for about fifteen years now, after I got clean I wanted to totally turn my life around and it just made sense, so I went into seminary and here we are.

TOBY: He's not a pastor.

AARON: When Julie Chen tells us that we're about to vote based on first impressions, I'm feeling pretty good.

TYLER: I don't want to go on first impressions! Why wouldn't you vote out someone who's gonna be good at competitions, like me?

PATRICK: I have to say that I'm feeling pretty confident right now that I don't seem like the biggest threat, but...you never know.

TOBY: I'm not telling anyone I'm a superfan, but I definitely have the whole nerdy look and I'm afraid people are gonna figure it out and think I'm the next Steve or Ian. I don't wanna be voted out so quickly like Cameron was last year!

THE VOTE

MARY: I have to go with my gut here and vote to evict...Rodney. Sorry!

AARON: I vote to evict...Leslie.

TYLER: I vote to evict Rodney.

ZACK: I vote to evict Tyler?

MIA: I vote to evict Aaron. Sorry Aaron!

RETTA: I vote to evict Leslie.

CALEB: I vote to evict Leslie, sorry.

GEORGIA: I vote to evict Aaron.

RODNEY: I vote to evict Tyler.

PATRICK: I sadly vote to evict Rodney.

MAUREEN: I vote to evict Aaron.

TOBY: I vote to evict Rodney.

JONATHAN: Rodney, I'm sorry, but I gotta vote to evict you.

LESLIE: I have to vote to evict Aaron.

ALICE: I vote to evict...Zack? I guess?

KRISTEN: I vote to evict...Caleb.

Rodney - 5 votes

Aaron - 4 votes

Leslie - 3 votes

Tyler - 2 votes

Caleb - 1 vote

Zack - 1 vote

TOTAL = 16 VOTES

AFTERMATH

AARON: So THAT was way too close to comfort, and I can see that I'm gonna have to turn everything around to get these people to trust me, but I'm SAFE, baby!

LESLIE: (crying) I don't know what I did to these people for me even to be in the top three who could have gone out, but the fact that it's all based on first impressions makes it even more difficult.

PATRICK: If you think I'm not gonna fight for that first HOH, you can think again. I don't like that that vote was split so heavily, and I definitely don't like knowing that I could have been one of those rogue votes.

MIA: So Patrick comes up to me and says, like, "You voted for Rodney, right?" And of course I'm like, "Yeah, I voted for Rodney…" but actually, I wanted Aaron out, and the fact that Patrick is being so paranoid scares me...it's day one. I might shoot for that Head of Household so I can take a shot at Patrick.

MAUREEN: I honestly don't want this HOH. I know I can fight for it, but _they_ don't know that, all they see is a short little girl. I'm not gonna show all my cards just yet, Big Brother!


	3. Chapter Two: The First HOH

"Houseguests," Julie Chen calls from the television in the living room. The Houseguests gather. "It's time for the first Head of Household competition of the season. As you all know, the Head of Household has an important responsibility: they must nominate two Houseguests for eviction. They have the ultimate power in the Big Brother house. Not only that, but they get safety for the week."

The Houseguests nod. This is not news, even to the recruits.

"But this season, things are a little different."

The Houseguests squirm. Of course there would be a twist.

"Let's just say, things won't be so simple for the HOH this season. More on that later, Houseguests."

The screen goes black, with no opportunity for the Houseguests to ask any questions of Julie Chen.

 **MARY:** Julie implies there's gonna be some sort of twist with the HOH, and I'm really starting to freak out. Big Brother, I don't want a wrench to be thrown in my strategy this early.

 **MIA:** Already I'm planning on gunning for this HOH so that I can take a shot at Patrick, but now Julie says things are going to be different this season? I don't know what to expect.

 **PATRICK:** The show's motto isn't expect the unexpected for no reason…

The barrier slides up, and the backyard is revealed to the Houseguests for the first time. Or, more accurately, a tall green hedge is revealed to the Houseguests. Everyone is nervous and excited, but Caleb is one of the more excited Houseguests; he is the first to throw open the door and fly around the hedge wall.

Immediately, he sees what looks like asteroids hanging from ropes in a grid in the backyard. But Toby and Tyler are right behind him, and the two superfans recall the show's last season. These aren't asteroids, they realize. These are meatballs.

At the opposite end of the grid of meatballs stands Josh Martinez, the winner of Big Brother 19. His wide smile is clear from across the backyard.  
"What's up, Meatballs?!" Josh yells from across the yard.

 **TYLER:** I walk into the backyard, and Josh Martinez from Big Brother 19 is here? What the hell?!

 **MAUREEN:** Josh from last season is here. I'm a huge fan, so I'm trying to contain my excitement, because I don't want everyone to know how much I know about this show!

The Houseguests all line up at the edge of the yard.

"Who's ready to compete in the first Head of Household competition of the year?"

The Houseguests cheer.

"Well, meatballs, if you want to win the first HOH, you're going to have to outlast your fellow Houseguests. In front of you are fourteen spaghetti noodles with three meatballs hanging from them. The object of the competition is to stay on your meatball the longest. The last Houseguest remaining will be the new Head of Household! Aaron, since you earned safety for the week, you will not be competing. Now, there are three meatballs on each of your spaghetti noodles; each one is smaller than the last. When I tell you, you must move up to the next smallest meatball. Does everybody understand?"

The Houseguests nod in agreement.

"Okay, well take your spots, because it's time to play...Spaghetti and Meatballs!"

The Houseguests mount their meatballs. Aaron sits off to the side of the yard on a bench. He feels happy to be safe for the week, but is worried that he hasn't had the chance to make connections with anyone yet. This is especially worrisome considering he was already almost voted out of the house this evening. It would be an easy cop-out next week to put him on the block since he was clearly wanted out by the house. He feels the need to work hard this week; he must get the house on his side.

Meanwhile, Patrick tries to find his most comfortable position on the bottom meatball. This is harder than it looks; the meatballs are a round surface that your legs want to slide right off of. But Patrick is determined. He _needs_ this HOH, needs to feel safe. Still, Julie's warning resounds in his head: _Let's just say, things won't be so simple for the HOH this season._ What could that mean?

And other Houseguests don't want the power at all this week. Both Maureen and Toby plan to strategically throw the Head of Household competition. Maureen wants people to think she's a weak girl, where that couldn't be further from the truth. She knows that she can hold her own against the boys. Toby wants the same, though he's not sure how much of a competition threat he actually could be, especially considering how slick the surface of these meatballs is. Throwing this particular competition might not be so difficult; he just needs the right time.

Tyler isn't sure what he should do. If he wins this, he might secure his reputation as a competition threat early in the game. He doesn't want that just yet. But because of his stature, he could _already_ be perceived as such, and what if that's enough for whoever wins to put him up on the block?

Mia, on the other hand, worries about what will happen if she doesn't win. Will she be able to split from Patrick without hurting his feelings? She doesn't want a target on her back from him, because he seems like a loose cannon who will do what he has to do to win. And still she wonders, is she just overreacting based on one thing that he said? But she remembers how adamant he had been, how he had said _I want to keep my finger on the pulse in this house._

 **LESLIE:** Honestly, my arms are trembling trying to hold onto this rope, but it's hard to get your legs to do any of the work when they just wanna slide right off the meatball.

 **CALEB:** I realize early on that if I want to win this, I have to take some of the weight off my arms. And I find out that if I cross my ankles and lock them, I can actually get my legs to hold me on the meatball.

 **GEORGIA:** I notice Caleb's strategy of crossing his ankles, and I think _Hmm. I might try that myself_. And it _works!_ It's as simple as riding a bike. I realize that hey, I might actually have a shot at winning this thing!

After only ten minutes of the competition, people start to fall. First is Leslie, followed by Kristen, and then Toby.

 **KRISTEN:** I was sort of trying to win this competition, but I don't know that it matters that I didn't. I don't think I'm enough of a threat to anyone in this house that I would get voted out even if I were nominated.

 **TOBY:** My plan was to throw this competition, but actually, I didn't need to throw it! I honestly just fell off. It was really hard!

Alice falls next, after a little longer than thirty minutes on the meatball. At the forty-five minute mark, Josh calls out, "Okay, Meatballs, it's time to move up to the next tier!"

The Houseguests are shaky as they try to move up. Not only is it awkward to get into a standing position on legs that are weakened and asleep from forty-five minutes in a seated position, but doing so causes the rope to swing a bit. This transition alone causes Retta, Maureen, and Zack to fall off.

 **ZACK:** I wanted to try to win that one to show the other Houseguests that I'm a strong competitor, but I just couldn't do it.

 **GEORGIA:** Moving up to the second tier is so difficult! I'm hoping that the Houseguests keep on dropping, because I'm not sure that I'll be able to do it again.

Mary falls next, then Jonathan, then Tyler. By the time Josh tells the Houseguests to move up to the next tier, it is down to only Caleb, Patrick, Mia, and Georgia. At this point, all four remaining Houseguests want the power, if not because they have an agenda, then because they have been hanging on the meatballs for the past two hours and they don't want all of that hard work to go to waste.

But if the transition to the second tier was hard, the transition to the third and final tier is infinitely harder. Caleb is the first one who is able to get to the third tier. The difference in the size of the meatball is noticeable; there's barely anything for him to sit on, so his arms have to do a lot of the work. Caleb knows that this is a problem for him; the way he is built, he has much more strength in his lower body than his upper body. And with the girls and Patrick all being lighter than him, they might have an easier time holding on. But as Patrick tries to move to a standing position, he is absolutely trembling. Georgia and Mia are trying to slowly pull themselves up to the final tier, but Patrick can't get above a low crouch.

So the negotiations begin.

"If I jump, am I safe this week?" Patrick asks.

The other three Houseguests look around at each other. Mia doesn't want Patrick to know, but Patrick is her target this week. Georgia and Caleb answer immediately, "You're safe, Patrick." He has given neither of them any reason to distrust him, and besides, this early in the game, there are plenty of viable targets.

But Mia has to say something, so she says, "Go ahead, Pat." And so he does. But Mia knows that while what she did say was definitely shady, she didn't necessarily give him her word that he was safe this week. She just told him to go ahead and fall.

 **PATRICK:** I got the other Houseguests' word that I'm safe for the week. But of course they're gonna tell me that. I just hope that they weren't lying.

After some effort, Mia and Georgia both make it to a sitting position on their meatballs. And Mia decides it's time to try to get in the other two Houseguests' heads.

"If you give it to me, you're both safe for the week," she says. "I really want this. I wanna prove it to myself."

"I want that too," Georgia says.

"Yeah," says Caleb, but his voice is clearly strained. Holding on, his arms are trembling. He doesn't look like he can last too much longer.

But they all want this, so they hold on.

Caleb is starting to realize he didn't do enough preparation for the endurance competitions. His body is not able to hold on; he knows he can't win this. So finally, when he can't bear the weight of his own body on his arms a second longer, he falls of. And his back hitting the mat is a terrible feeling, because he knows how hard he tried, he just couldn't pull it off.

Georgia and Mia can't see each other because their backs are to each other, so neither can tell how the other is doing. They would have to turn their body in order to tell, and neither wants to risk the extra strain doing so would put on their arms. So they each blindly hope that the other is doing worse than they are. What they don't know is, it's anyone's game at this point. Either girl could have another thirty minutes of this in her. Though it hurts, they can hold on longer.

In the end, it all comes down to an itch. The top of Mia's head begins to itch. She tells herself not to think about it, but of course that just makes it become the only thing she _can_ think about. She _has_ to reach up and scratch it or she will lose her mind. So she reaches up with her right hand. And when she does so, her weaker left arm simply gives out.  
Since Georgia's back is turned, she doesn't know that she has won the competition until she hears the slap of Mia's back on the mat.  
"Congratulations, Georgia, you are the first Head of Household of Big Brother 20!" yells Josh. And then, because of course production told him to, Josh celebrates her victory by doing his customary pots-and-pans routine, banging the two pans together while singing _DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA!_

The Head of Household room key is placed around her neck and the Houseguests all walk towards the living room. The moment they are all seated, the television comes on once again.

"Hello, Houseguests, and congratulations Georgia on winning the first Head of Household competition of the season!"

The Houseguests cheer, and Georgia's smile stretches from ear to ear.

"But you didn't think it'd be _that_ easy, do you?" Julie says. "That's right, I have another twist for you. Just because you won Head of Household doesn't mean you are safe for the week this season. Hang tight, Houseguests. I'll be back tomorrow to reveal a new twist that is _sure_ to shake up the game."


End file.
